AES E-Library

AES E-Library

A Monolithic 16-Bit D/A Conversion System for Digital Audio

A monolithic 16-bit conversion system including a high-speed digital-to-analog (D/A) converter and a phase-linear 96-element digital low-pass filter operating at four times the sampling frequency is described. In the D/A converter a special technique, called dynamic element matching, is used to obtain high-Z accuracy and stability. The linearity of the converter is maintained at 1/2 LSB over a long time and over a large temperature range. Only a simple third-order analog Bessel filter is needed to remove the high-frequency components of the output signal. The total system has a dynamic image of 96 dB with a full scale distortion level at -90 dB. Pass-band ripple is within 0.15 dB and phase linearity within 0.5 degrees. All specifications are valid over the 20-kHz audio band.